Drug Interactions between Kynamro and Zyban

GENERALLY AVOID: Coadministration with alcohol may increase the risk of hepatotoxicity associated with the use of mipomersen. Mipomersen can cause elevations in serum transaminases and hepatic steatosis. In a premarketing clinical trial, 12% (4/34) of patients treated with mipomersen had at least one elevation in alanine aminotransferase (ALT) 3 times the upper limit of normal (ULN) or greater, and 9% (3/34) had at least one elevation in ALT 5 times ULN or greater, compared to 0% of the 17 patients treated with placebo. There were no concomitant clinically meaningful elevations of total bilirubin, international normalized ratio (INR), or partial thromboplastin time (PTT). Mipomersen also increases hepatic fat, with or without concomitant increases in transaminases. In clinical trials of patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia and hyperlipidemia, the median absolute increase in hepatic fat was 10% after 26 weeks of treatment, from 0% at baseline, measured by magnetic resonance imaging. The long-term consequences of hepatic steatosis associated with mipomersen therapy are unknown. Hepatic steatosis may be a risk factor for progressive liver disease, including steatohepatitis and cirrhosis.

MANAGEMENT: Since alcohol may increase levels of hepatic fat and induce or exacerbate liver injury, the manufacturer recommends that patients taking mipomersen not consume more than one alcoholic drink per day.

Switch to consumer interaction data

GENERALLY AVOID: Excessive use or abrupt discontinuation of alcohol after chronic ingestion may precipitate seizures in patients receiving bupropion. Additionally, there have been rare postmarketing reports of adverse neuropsychiatric events or reduced alcohol tolerance in patients who drank alcohol during treatment with bupropion. According to one forensic report, a patient died after taking large doses of both bupropion and alcohol. It is uncertain whether a drug interaction was involved. Single-dose studies in healthy volunteers given bupropion and alcohol failed to demonstrate either a significant pharmacokinetic or pharmacodynamic interaction.

MANAGEMENT: The manufacturer recommends that alcohol consumption be minimized or avoided during bupropion treatment. The use of bupropion is contraindicated in patients undergoing abrupt discontinuation of alcohol.

Switch to consumer interaction data

MONITOR: Additive or synergistic effects on blood pressure may occur when bupropion is combined with sympathomimetic agents such as nasal decongestants, adrenergic bronchodilators, ophthalmic vasoconstrictors, and systemic vasopressors. Treatment with bupropion can result in elevated blood pressure and hypertension. In clinical practice, hypertension, in some cases severe and requiring acute treatment, has been observed in patients receiving bupropion alone and in combination with nicotine replacement therapy. These events have occurred in both patients with and without evidence of preexisting hypertension. Furthermore, postmarketing cases of hypertensive crisis have been reported during the initial titration phase with bupropion-naltrexone treatment.

MANAGEMENT: Caution is advised when bupropion is used with other drugs that increase dopaminergic or noradrenergic activity due to an increased risk of hypertension. Blood pressure and heart rate should be measured prior to initiating bupropion therapy and monitored at regular intervals consistent with usual clinical practice, particularly in patients with preexisting hypertension. Dose reduction or discontinuation of bupropion should be considered in patients who experience clinically significant and sustained increases in blood pressure or heart rate.

Switch to consumer interaction data

MONITOR: The concomitant use of bupropion and nicotine replacement for smoking cessation may increase the risk of hypertension. In a clinical study (n=250), 6.1% of patients who used sustained-release bupropion with nicotine transdermal system developed treatment-emergent hypertension, compared to 2.5% of patients treated with bupropion alone, 1.6% treated with nicotine alone, and 3.1% treated with placebo. Three patients in the bupropion plus nicotine group and one patient in the nicotine-only group discontinued treatment due to hypertension. The majority had evidence of preexisting hypertension.

MANAGEMENT: Blood pressure monitoring is recommended for patients concomitantly using bupropion and nicotine replacement for smoking cessation.

Switch to consumer interaction data